About the position

The Department of Geography has a vacancy for a four-year PhD candidate on the topic of child poverty. This is an educational position that provides promising research recruits the opportunity to develop their skills and research experience towards a PhD. The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD-program in the Social Sciences at NTNU, and the faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will be your employer.

The PhD-project will be linked to an ongoing project on child poverty that utilize population cohort data from Statistics Norway. Child poverty is a worrying trend in Norway. According to the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs children in low-income families have increased from just under 4 per cent in the early 2000s to just over 11 per cent today.

Children with low socio-economic status are overrepresented in the child welfare services and the aim of the project is to provide more knowledge about who these children and families are and how geographical variations in socio-economic conditions affect their life situation and their prospects over time.

This PhD-project will be linked to an existing research collaboration between different Norwegian and international research partners. The candidate will be introduced to this network of researchers and will have the benefit of working alongside a number of experienced academics on this topic.

The PhD-candidate will report to the Head of the Department.

Duties of the position

• The candidate must develop an independent project outline within 3 months of appointment and conduct it accordingly
• Comply with the PhD training program at the Faculty
• Write research papers under supervision
• One year of the 4-year position will be allocated to teaching and supervision of students at the bachelor's and master's programs at the Department of Geography

Required selection criteria

The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is that you have completed a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a strong academic background in Human Geography or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you are unable to meet these criteria you may be considered only if you can document that you are particularly suitable for education leading to a PhD degree.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant.

Other required selection criteria:

• Documented research experience in human geography (or other relevant disciplines e.g. sociology, political science, social work)
• Experience in conducting quantitative research (e.g. panel data analysis, statistical thematic mapping, GIS, spatiotemporal analysis)
• Good written and oral English language skill

Preferred selection criteria

• Data science skills
• Big data and machine learning skills
• Norwegian language skills

Personal characteristics

• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• A positive and professional attitude as well as a good team-worker
• Social adaptability and communication skills
• Willingness to learn new skillsets

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability as well as motivation.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 479 600 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 4 years including one year required duties.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in programme at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences Specialization Geography within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English or Norwegian.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

The application must include:

• CV, certificates and diplomas
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 works)
• An application letter that informs about your skills and experience within the required and preferred selection criteria
• Name and address of three referees

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age,

position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Thomas Halvorsen, telephone +47 92049288, email thomas.halvorsen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR by Renate Lillian Johansen: renate.johansen@ntnu.no.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number SU-477 when applying.

Application deadline: 15.08.2020

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Geography

We conduct research and teach in subject areas related to the major societal challenges of our time: climate change, migration, urbanization, economic transition and environmental threats. We have a robust fieldwork tradition, and our teaching activities are closely linked to our research. The Department of Geography is one of seven departments at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.

Deadline 15th August 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Project
Place of service Dragvoll